The incident at The Lettershop in Leeds took place in December 2013, just three months after York Mailing acquired the business and following an investigation and enforcement notice issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2010.
The thumb of a 46-year-old, who still works at the company and does not want to be named, was pulled into an unguarded section between the rollers of a glueing machine.
He was working on a print run for a supermarket loyalty voucher mailing and noticed loose inserts had stuck on an impression roller.
Reaching over another roller, his left thumb was pulled into the in-running nip. The pad of the thumb and part of the bone was torn or sheared off.
Simon Cooper, joint managing director with Dave McGolpin, said: “The Lettershop went through a 100% buyout from the previous owners in August that year and since then been run by a completely new executive management team."
Prior to the sale Cooper had been technical/production director while McGolpin had been commercial director.
Cooper continued: “The court recognised that, immediately following the change of ownership in August 2013, the new management had begun to make, and continue to make, improvements.
“This includes substantial financial investment in additional health & safety, training, procedures and systems for all its staff.”
Leeds Crown Court prosecuted after an investigation by the HSE identified protective guards were missing from machines and risks not properly addressed.
The court heard HSE found several failings by the Lettershop. The enforcement notice had required the company to improve the way risks to workers were assessed and the provision of protective safeguards in the premises.
But although The Lettershop had completed the assessment and developed an action plan to put right the safeguarding issues, most of the work was still outstanding at the time of the accident.
The HSE told the court the front of the unit where the worker was injured had no guarding and employees had not been provided with adequate instructions.
The Lettershop was fined £18,000 and ordered to pay £9,516 in costs after admitting a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974.
The 200-staff company runs Goss printing equipment and specialises in direct marketing material and complex off-line finishes in a 13,000sqm production facility.
Cooper said that efforts to improve safety made since the takeover had been acknowledged as mitigating factors by the court.
“Our business ethos includes a commitment to the welfare of employees, which includes a commitment to providing the best working conditions and on-going training for all our staff.”
HSE inspector Geoff Fletcher said: “This worker suffered a painful and avoidable injury and needed a skin graft to help repair the thumb.
“The risks associated with printing machinery are well-known within the industry. The Lettershop had identified simple and effective measures that would have prevented this incident happening but failed to act upon them.
“The Lettershop had received strong advice on these issues from HSE on two occasions before the incident but the company failed to fully heed these warnings and neglected to give the protection of their workers the priority it deserved.”
